Fishhook



H` M.V FITCH March 29, 1932.

FISHHOOK Filed 00u16; 1929 Patented Mar. 29, 1932A UNITEDl STATES HARLEY M. FITCH, oF PRINCETON-MAINE' rIsHHooxy Application mea october 1s, '1929. 'serial Nb. 399,950. f

The invention pertains to fishhooks, and more particularly to a fishhook designed for the ready attachment of feathers, bristles, fur, or such other material as is commonly 5 employed in the manufacture of artificial fishing fii-es or lures. According to usual practice the fisherman must provide himself with an assortment of complete flies of different kinds in order to meet the varying conditions of fishing, each fly usually consisting of a hook having permanently attached to its shank, as for example by -wrappings of waxed thread, such lmaterials as may be necessary to simulate the appearance of natural insects or other bait, or to provide such other lures as experience has proven to be attractiv-e to fish. Such flies usually are provided with gut or other leaders, and are quite troublesome to keep in proper condition or to carry conveniently in large assortment. Moreover, in order to substitute one fly for another, it is necessary to untie and retie the fish line, an operation which is not always easy to perform.

.25 In accordance with the present invention I provide a hook (having the usual leader, if desired) comprising means whereby the fisherman, without detaching the hook from the line, can easily changethe appearance or shape of the fiy so as to accommodate it to any condition met within fishing.4 As it is much easier to carry colored lfeathers,rbris tles, fur, or other material, commonly employed in making iies, in unattached condition than when made up into completed flies, it is possible for the fisherman to carry a very large and complete assortment of fly forming material in a smally and compact container from` which he can select and attach at a moments notice such substances as appear most appropriate to the occasion. To this end in accordance with the present invention the hook is provided, preferably upon its shank portion, with a clamping device of resilient character adapted to hold the fly forming material securely, while permitting its ready release'whendesired. This clamping means forms a permanent part of the hook and may readily be manipulated with one hand, leaving the other hand free to select and introduce the flyforming material, and when the clamping means is released, it automatically resumes its clampingfunotion so that further manipulation is not required.`

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have disclosed one desirable embodiment of the invention by way of example:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a barehook comprising my invention; 'f .e Fig. 2 `is a side elevation illustrating the o clamping means arranged tok receive the fly A forming material and Fig. 3 is a yside elevation of a completed fiy.

i Referring to the drawings, I have'shown ahook of substantially usual form compris- "05 ing the 'shank' 1 andthe hook proper 2, the shank being provided vat its upper end with any' usual means as, for exa.1nple,'the ring 3 to which the -line or leader 4 maybe secured. d

At a pointimmediately below the attaching means 3, I prefer to provide a collar or rin@ 5 which maybe fixed to the vshank of the hoo or may merely bear against the ring 3, as may he preferred. At a point suitably spaced from p this ring orcollar 5, I provide an abutment 4ring 6 fixedly secured to the shank 1 inany -desired manner, such ring constituting one element of the clamping device. Preferably, althoughy not necessarily, this abutment ring Y 6 is provided with a truncated conical exten- 80 sion 7 whose larger end preferably is of slightly smaller diameter than the ring 6 so asv to i form an abutment shoulder at the upper side of the ring. A coiled compression spring 8 encircles the shank 1, such spring being interposed'between the collars 5 and 6 and normally bearing with resilient pressure against the collar 6. Preferably, as shown, this spring is of tapering form, having its larger endy arranged to engage the abutmentfi and to em- 4brace the conical extension 7 Such a hook may be secured either directly to the line, or by means of an interposedleader, and whenv it isdesiredv to use the same for 'fly fishing, the fisherman, having first pro- 95 vided himself with a receptacle containing an assortment of suitably colored feathers, bristles, fur, or the like, picks out from such yassortment the material which he requires,'for

example, a feather k10 (Fig. 2), and first re- 100.

tracting the large end of the spring 8 from the abutment 6, introduces the shaft 9 of the feather into the larger end of the spring, permittingk the feather to rest against the edge of the ring 6. If he so desire, he may introduce other feathers 11, 12, etc. (Fig. 3), in like manner, and in the same Way the ends of bristles 13. When this material has been suitably arranged, the spring 8 is released, and by its expansion firmly clasps the fly forming material against the cone 7 -andthe edge of the ring 6. The conical member 7, when used, assists in causing the fiy forming material to diverge in a desirable manner outwardly from the shank of the hook Without tendency to break the shafts of the feathers, but if desired this V`conical member 7 may be dispensed with, although I prefer to employ it.

When the fisherman desires to change the character of the fly, it is merely necessary to retract the spring 8 from the abutment 6, remove the old flyforming material, and introduce other material, whereupon the spring isagain permitted toexpand and the fly is immediately ready for use.

' It may be noted that in using this Adevice Y the spring is readily retracted by the fingers of one hand, and when the fly forming material has been put in place, the mere release ofthe spring completes the clamping action so that it is not necessary to actuate screw devices or other troublesome clamping means, and thus there is little danger or derangement of the fly forming material during t-he clamping operation. Moreover, as the clamping means forms a permanent partvof the hook, it can not be displaced or lost, While at Lthe same time the fly `forming material maybe keptin most compact form, since it embodies no eX- traneous parts, and does not require to 'be first mounted upon supplementary attaching means. Y

While I have disclosed .one desirable em-V bodiment of the invention, I wish itto be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the precise construction, but that it embraces all equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A fishing fly comprising a hook having a shank provided at its end with line attaching means, a collar adjacent to `said vend of the shank, a clamping collar spaced from the first collar and fixed to the shank, a spring interposed between said collars, iiy forming material clamped between the end portion of the spring and said abutment collar, and means tending to cause such fly forming material to diverge outwardly from its point of attach ment to .the hook` i Signed by me at Princeton, VMe., this 10th day-of Oct-obercl929.

HARLEY M. FITCH. 

